SWIFTKIRCHEN (WKRC) – A German town has renamed themselves after worldwide superstar Taylor Swift in anticipation of her show in the town’s arena.
The city of Gelsenkirchen, Germany was excited to learn that Taylor Swift would be playing their VELTINS-Arena from July 17 through 19 during her international Eras Tour.
They were so excited, in fact, that when major “Swiftie” Aleshanee Westhoff started a humorous petition about changing the town’s name to “Swiftkirchen” to honor the artist, the mayor took the request seriously.
Karin Wedge, Lord Mayor of Gelsenkirchen, said, “It’s a great idea to temporarily rename Gelsenkirchen to ‘Swiftkirchen’,” in a statement on the city’s website (that was translated into English). She credited Westhoff with the idea.
Westhoff was given the honor of installing the first “Swiftkirchen” street sign, which is decorated with a picture of the singer and a few stickers evoking her songs. The head of the city’s public relations department, Markus Schwardtmann, said “We will be installing many more signs in highly frequented places in Gelsenkirchen in the coming days.”
The city has also installed a “Taylor Swift tram” that is travelling around the city, and will “certainly make for an attractive selfie motif,” along with other picturesque scenes erected around the metropolis. They will also give her a temporary spot in the Gelsenkirchen Walk of Fame.
Finally, for the Swifties that aren’t able to attend the concerts, the city will be hosting an outdoor party for the singer.
The city of Gelsenkirchen is excited about the public attention that Taylor Swift will bring their city, especially right after they hosted multiple EURO 2024 games.